IUCN threat status:

Brief Summary

Biology

While information on the biology of this particular species is lacking, it is likely to be similar to that of other seahorses (Hippocampus species). Seahorses are ambush predators that wait in the water until a prey, such as a small crustacean, tiny, young fish, or other invertebrate, passes close by its mouth. With a rapid intake of water, the seahorse sucks the prey up into its long snout (6). The most distinctive and arguably the most interesting feature of seahorse biology is the manner in which they reproduce. During mating, the female deposits a clutch of eggs into a pouch in the male's tail, where they are fertilised by the male. The male then seals the pouch shut, enclosing the embryos in a protective environment in which the developing seahorses are supplied with oxygen through a network of capillaries. At the end of pregnancy, the male enters labour, which lasts for hours as the male actively forces the young out of the pouch. Immediately after birth, the young seahorses are independent and receive no further care from either parent (6).